i Peter 5:1-14

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: 1 Peter

Rusty Kennedy

ABOUT THE ELDERS
1 PETER 5
1 I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ,

• Peter likely has in mind his own personal observation of Christ’s suffering on the cross though he could be referring to the suffering present in the church.

as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed:

• In contrast to the suffering existent in this life, there is a glory of which all Christians partake.
• This glory is our salvation in Christ.
• Salvation was Peter’s encouragement during the persecution he was enduring, and he wanted the church to find the same joy in the midst of suffering.
• The Christian possesses this glory in this life but will be revealed fully in Heaven.

2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly;

• Elders are to shepherd the flock of God.
• Peter's exhortation to his fellow elders was for them to care for those under their charge as a shepherd cares for his sheep (cf. John 21:16; Acts 20:28; Ezek. 34:1-16).
• In other words, elders are responsible for the pastoral work of the local church.
• A pastor is usually an elder who functions as a shepherd.
• The verb shepherd means to tend.
• Pastoring includes the duties of feeding, leading, guiding, guarding, and providing for the needs of those in the church—just like a shepherd does these same tasks for his sheep (cf. John 21:16).
• Notice that Peter sees the elders as a team not a solo act.
• No single individual can tend to the church.
• All elders must serve not because of pressure but out of pure willingness.
• This principle can be applied to any ministerial position.
• God is not strongarming us to serve but rather wants us to do so voluntarily.
• Motivation matters.
• We should never do anything in church that we are not eager to do.
• There is no place to “have to” do something in the kingdom.
• This is a law mentality.
• Instead, we are to wait on the Lord to motivate us to serve in whatever role we do in the church.

3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

• Peter is not referring to a specific reward earned by elders.
• The crown of glory is the full revelation of our salvation in Christ, and the glory referred to by Peter a few verses earlier (5:1).
• Every believer receives this crown.

5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because
God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.

• Peter encourages an attitude of humility to be expressed by believers.
• This humility is not the result of trying harder to live righteously or to follow religious regulations but rather arises as we understand the grace of God in Christ.

 
CONCLUSION
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

• In this context, Peter is not talking about false types of humility in which we try to humble ourselves through rigorous religious living.
• He has in mind a dependency on God in which we allow Him to carry our anxieties and stresses from life.
• Humility arises as we trust in God’s gracious nature.

8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

• Peter encourages Christians to rest in Christ's indwelling presence during spiritual warfare instead of engaging the devil verbally or rebuking him.
• This is similar to Paul’s view of the armor of God (Ephesians 6).
• We are to be strong in the Lord, not in ourselves.
• As we are strong in the Lord, we can resist what Satan is doing.
• The enemy’s main goal is not to get people to do bad stuff.
• Rather, Satan is trying to encourage people to disbelieve in God just as he did in the garden.
• Satan is also the accuser of the brethren.
• He tries to convince believers that they are somehow far from God or that they are too wicked to be in a relationship with God.
• But the Gospel says the precise opposite.
• There is no longer a relational distance between the Christian and God because of Christ’s finished work.

9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

• We often feel as if we are alone in our suffering.
• However, Satan makes a target out of all Christians.
• No single Christian is immune to persecution.

10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.

• Though sufferings are not of God He does use them to establish us in the faith.
• God works within His children amid suffering to mature us in Christ.
• This does not necessarily mean that the externals will change, but it does mean that internally we will know the fruit of the Spirit more intimately and enjoy God’s love in greater magnitude.

11 To him be dominion forever. Amen.
12 Through Silvanus, a faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly in order to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!

• Peter encourages the church to know the true Gospel and to stand firm or resist false teaching.
• Just as is the case today, many false teachings were present in Peter’s time.
• Any teaching that violated Christ's nature or finished work was to be discarded.[1]

13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.[2]

• My peace is shallow... His peace is infinite...
• His peace > my peace
• His peace is the only peace that can break through the noise of this world.
• I don't understand how I can have peace in the middle of the storm... Unless it comes from Him.

My peace is His peace, or it's not peace at all.

[1] Farley, Andrew. www.BibleCommentary.com. 1 Peter 5.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), 1 Pe 5:1–14.